The many ways Cloth Diapering changed my lifestyle and thinking

1) I did not have to run out to get diapers in the middle of the night when I realized I was out and baby had just pooped.

2) I did not have to budget money every two weeks for diapers. I do budget for new cloth diapers and accessories, but that is every few months or so.

3) I started thinking of what else I was throwing away; paper, cans, glass, etc. I started recycling what I could and finding ways to decrease the other things I was throwing away (finding other uses for some things and really just thinking twice before tossing)

4) It has also encouraged me to try sewing different things. I tried my hand at sewing some cloth diapers, wipes and even simple skirts and dresses for her, which led me to try my hand at blankets, quilts and curtains. Sewing isn’t really related to cloth diapering, but it was the mindset that was started from cloth diapering. It was for me a way to starting thinking about what resources I have that I can use reuse the things I have in the house. Most everything I have made has been from scraps that I already had or from clothes that were not worn any more.

5) I should also include that it had gotten me to think about healthy eating and other things I could be doing to make my family healthy. I am not the best at this area, but it was a place to start and encouragement to keep working on it.

I guess after looking over this list it has been more of a way of thinking change for me and through changing my way of thinking it has changed my lifestyle.

28 comments:

Cloth diapering has changed our outlook as well. We recycle and reuse as much as we can, we try to reduce our impact in other ways as well (less electricity use, bringing bags to the store, composting, gardening, etc.) Who would have thought the type of diapers we chose would end up changing our lifestyle so much?

Cloth diapering has really changed my mindset and ways I live also. I don't sew but I would love to start one day. But I have gone cloth on other things and gotten rid of a lot of disposable/paper good.

I, too, have started being more conscious of waste in our household since cloth diapering. I originally thought I'd use disposable when I took her out places, but now I don't even do that. I also do some sewing, and I enjoy making lots of things. I recycle everything I can, whenever I can.

It is SO true! My mindset has completely changed since we switched to Cloth Diapers. Today I was in the store buying miscellaneous feeding utensils for my daughter and there was a harried dad trying to find the best deal on the most diapers and I was SO glad not to be in his position! Definitely do NOT miss those days!

Well said. After researching the impact that just ONE baby in disposables can make on the environment, we decided to try to reduce our whole family's impact on the environment. I didn't consider sewing from old clothes though–we just take them to goodwill or the consignment store. But these are great ideas too! Thanks for the great post!

This is a terrific post. Cloth diapering has definitely changed my outlook on the way I live as well. And I'm not a very with a sewing machine, but I have wanted to start making some dresses for my little one made out of old t-shirts.

Thanks for sharing. I'm hoping to make the switch soon (once we move to a place with a washer ) and even just considering cloth diapers has made me more aware of the other ways that I can reduce my waste and consumption. I can't wait to get started!

It's funny how cloth diapering does that for a family…We switched our daughter to cloth when she was 5 months old. suddenly in the following months we found ourselves doing lots of things "greener". (I.e. cloth grocery bags). She is now a year and a half old and we have another newborn baby in cloth at the same time. People ask me if it is hard to do cd-ing(extra work) but I actually found it very fun and rewarding way to bond with my kids. My oldest now "helps" me prep the clean diapers and put them away. I started using a clothes line in the spring, summer and fall months rather than always tossing things into the dryer. I switched to cloth baby wipes and cloth nursing pads, and yes I too have started sewing up various baby things from recycled fabric/scraps I had.